Container and method of forming same



April 25, 1933. A. B. WILSON CONTAINER AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed June 29, 1929 ANT Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES} PATENT OFFICE ALLEN B. WILSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ACME STEEL COMPANY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS V CONTAINER AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Application filed June 29, 1929.

This invention relates to improvements in containers and in methods of forming the same and its purpose is to provide a container comprising improved means for securing the cover in place thereon. The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved container and a novel method of forming the container according to which the cover may be snapped into interlocking engagement with a rim secured to the container vessel, thereby avoiding the necessity of bending or re-forming any parts of the rim to secure the cover in place and also avoiding the necessity of using nails or other fastening devices. A further ob ject of the invention is to provide an annular rim adapted to be attached to the vessel and having an inwardly extending resilient flange adapted to permit a cover to be pressed downwardly within the rim until the flange engages an annular recess in the cover, thereby holding the cover in place. Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved container having an annular metallic rim provided with a downwardly and inwardly extending transversely corrugated flange arranged to coact with an annular shoulder on the cover of the vessel to prevent removal thereof. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement and to details of the meth- 0d of forming the container, all of which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawing in which one embodiment of the improved container is illustrated. In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a candy pail embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a section of the metallic rim which is employed for securing the cover to the vessel;

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical section through the upper edge of the vessel and the rim,

showing the cover in position to be passed downwardly into interlocking engagement with the downwardly inclined flange formed on the rim Serial No. 37 4,780.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 3, showing the relation of the parts after the cover has been moved downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3 into a position wherein it seats on the vessel and is held in place by the annular flange of the rim;

Fig. 5 is a partial top plan'view of the container illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the joint uniting the overlapping ends of the rim, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 4, showing the cover-securing flange of the rim bent outwardly into parallel relation with the body of the rim for the purpose of permitting the removal of the cover.

As illustrated in the drawing, the invention is shown as being embodied in a candy pail 10 having a bottom wall surrounded by a plurality of upwardly extending wooden staves 11 which are held in assembled relation with respect to the bottom wall and to each other by means of a plurality of surrounding hoops or bands 12 which, in this instance, are formed of wire. 'The staves 11 taper upwardly and outwardly, as is usual in the construction of pails and tubs, and the upper ends of these staves form a horizotal surface upon which is seated the cover 13, formed preferably of wood, which may be laminated to prevent warping thereof and to permit the use of a comparatively thin cover. The cover 13 is secured in place on the vessel 10 by an annular metallic rim 14 formed of sheet metal and having parts interlocking with the vessel and the cover.

As shown in Fig. 2, the band 14 comprises a plain body portion 14 having an inwardly extending flange 14 along the lower edge thereof and having a downwardly and inwardly inclined flange 14 along the upper edge thereof. The lower flange 14 is preferably provided with a series of transverse corrugations 14 and the upper flange 14 is preferably provided with a series of transverse corrugations 14 These corrugations permit the band to be formed initially as a flat member having the two series of corrugations 14 and 14 along the opposite edges thereof and then, after the band has been bent into annu lar form and its ends secured, the corrugated parts thereof may be bent inwardly to occupy the positions shown in Fig. 2, which is permitted by reason of the fact that the corrugations automatically adjust themselves to-the decreasing diameters of the inner parts of the flanges as they are bent inwardly. As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the upper flange 14 is preferably cut away at the point where the ends of the band overlap and these overlapping ends are secured together by rivets 15 or other suitable fastening means.

The vessel 10 is pro ided adjacent its up 61 end with an annular recess 16 formed in its outer side and adapted to receive the inward ly directed flange 1 1- 0f the rim. The rim is preferably formed as a complete annular member before application to the vessel and is then placed on the vessel by compressing the upper part of the latter sufficiently to permit the rim to be sprung over the staves until the flange 1 1 is in position to enter the recess 16 when the confining pressure on the stares is released. Upon permitting the staves to iove outwardly into engagement with the flange 14:, the rim 14 is then secured rigidly to the vessel and extends upwardly above the upper edges of the staves, as shown in Fig. 3. The vessel and the rim are then in readiness to receive the cover 13, which is formed as a circular disk having an annular groove 13 in its outer edge surface. This groove is bounded on its lower side by an annular horizontal shoulder 13 and on its upper side by a downwardly and inwardly inclined beveled surface 13 which may preferably extend downwardly and inwardly from the upper surface of the cover. The depth of the inclined beveled surface 13 is preferably sub stantially the same as the depth or width of the corrugated flange 1 1 of the rim and the depth of the lower cylindrical surface 13 of the cover is preferably substantially the same as the distance 17 between the lower edge of the flange 1 f and the upper end surface of the vessel. The diameter of the surface 13 is preferably somewhat less than that of the inner surface of the body portion 1d of the rim and the diameter of the uppermost part of the beveled surface 18 is preferably substantially the same as that of the surface 13. Having placed the cover 13 in the position shown in Fig. 3, it may be pushed downwardly by a manual operation, thereby causing the inclined flange 14 of the rim to spread out wardly until the cover reaches a position wherein it seats on the upper ends of the staves 11, whereupon the flange let snaps inwardly into en agement with the groove l3 with its inclined corrugated surface coacting with the surface 13 of the cover and with its lower corrugated edge engaging the shoulder 13 of the groove. To facilitate application of the cover to the rim carried by the vessel and to insure a secure interlocking relation of the flange 1 1 and the cover after the parts have assumed the relation shown in Fig. 4, the rim 14 is preferably formed of steel strapping having suflicient hardness and resiliency to permit the corrugated flange 14 to adjust itself to the down ward movement of the cover and to cause this flange to maintain itself normally in the position shown in Fig. 4. Since the diameter of the surface 13 of the cover is somewhat less than that of the body portion of the rim, the cover is adapted to move downwardly within the flange 14 without causing undue stretching thereof and without deforming the body portion of the rim.

After the cover has been secured to the vessel in the manner described above, it cannot readily be removed and although the opening 18 in the upper flange at the point where the overlapping ends of the band are united will permit the insertion of a suitable tool to pry the band outwardly and stretch it until it may be withdrawn, it is usually preferable to effect the removal of the cover by inserting a suitable thintool between the stir face 13 of the cover and the inclined flange 14 of the rim and then bend the flange 14L outwardly by moving the tool around the cover until the flange 14 extends downwardly parallel to the body of the rim as shown at 19 in Fig. 6, which parallel arrangement allows the cover to be lifted upwardly as permitted by the reduced diameter of the lower part thereof as compared with the diameter of the rim.

It will be apparent that this invention provides a novel form of tub or pail which may be equipped by the manufacturer with a metallic rim applied thereto in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3 and when the containers have been filled by the users thereof, the covers may be readily passed into interlocking engagement with the rim without the necessity of using any tools or fastening devices and without the necessity of permanently bending or reshaping any of the parts of the rim.

Although one form of the improved con tainer has been illustrated and described in connection with the explanation of one method of its manufacture, it will be understood that it may be embodied in various other forms and may be made in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container comprising a vessel, a cover mounted on said vessel and having an outwardly and upwardly extending annular surface and an adjacent outwardly extending annular surface, and a rim attached to said vessel and having a downwardly and inwardly inclined resilient flange engaging said firstnamed surface. I

2. A container comprising a vessel, a cover mounted on said vessel and having an outwardly extending surface, and a rim attached to said vessel and having a downwardly and inwardly inclined transversely corrugated flange engaging said surface.

3. A container comprising a vessel, a cover mounted on said vessel and having an annular groove in its outer edge, the lower wall of said groove forming an annular outwardly extending shoulder and the upper wall of said groove forming a downwardly and inwardly inclined surface, and an annular metallic rim attached to said vessel and having a downwardly and inwardly inclined flange coacting with said inclined surface of said cover and engaging said shoulder forming the lower wall of said groove.

4:. A container comprising a vessel, a cover mounted on said vessel and having an annular groove in its outer edge, the lower wall of said groove forming an annular outwardly extending shoulder and the upper wall of said groove forming a downwardly and inwardly inclined surface, and an annular metallic rim attached to said vessel and having a downwardly and inwardly inclined transversely corrugated flange coacting with said inclined surface of said'cover and engaging said shoulder forming the lower wall of said groove.

5. A container comprising a vessel, a cover mounted on said vessel and having an outwardly extending surface, and a complete annular metallic rim attached to said vessel and having an inwardly extending annular part of lesser diameter than said cover and adapted to be enlarged to permit said cover to be passed downwardly within said rim until said inwardly extending part engages said surface.

6. A container comprising a vessel, a cover mounted on said vessel and having an annular groove therein, and a complete annular metallic rim attached to said vessel and having a downwardly and inwardly inclined metallic flange, the diameter of the inner part of said flange being less than the diameter of said cover, said flange being arranged to permit said cover to be pressed downwardly within said flange until said flange snaps into engagement with said groove.

7. A container comprising a vessel having an inwardly extending recess in its outer wall, a complete annular metallic rim having an inwardly extending flange engaging said recess and having a downwardly and inwardly inclined annular flange located above said vessel, and a cover mounted on said vessel within said rim and having an annular groove engaging said inclined flange.

8. A container comprising a vessel having an inwardly extending recess in its outer wall, a complete annular metallic rim having an inwardly extending flange engaging said recess and having a downwardly and inwardly inclined annular flange located above said vessel, and a cover mounted on said vessel within said rim and having an annular groove engaging said inclined flange, both of said flanges on said rim being provided with transverse corrugations.

9. A closure for a container comprising a circular cover member having an annular groove in its outer edge bounded on one side by an outwardly extending shoulder and on the other side by an annular surface inclined outwardly from the bottom of said groove, and an annular metallic rim having a reversely bent and inwardly inclined annular flange engaging said groove and coacting with said inclined wall of said groove.

10. A closure for a container comprising a circular cover member having an annular groove in its outer edge bounded on one side by an outwardly extending shoulder and on the other side by an annular surface inclined outwardly from the bottom of said groove, and an annular metallic rim having a reversely bent and inwardly inclined annular flange engaging said groove and coacting with said inclined wall of said groove, said flange of said rim being transversely corrugated and the body portion of said rim extending downwardly below the bottom of said cover.

11. The method of forming a container which consists in securing to a vessel an annular metallic rim having a downwardly and inwardly inclined expansible flange and then moving downwardly within said rim a cover having an annular groove adapted to be engaged by said flange when said cover reaches a predetermined position with respect to said vessel.

12. The method of forming a container which consists in providing a vessel with an annular recess, mounting on said vessel a complete annular metallic rim having an inwardly extending flange engaging said recess and having a downwardly and inwardly inclined transversely corrugated flange located above the upper edge of said vessel, and then inserting within said rim a circular cover having an annular groove in its outer edge and having the lower wall of said groove of greater diameter than the diameter of the inner part of said corrugated flange.

13. The method of forming a container which consists in securing to a vessel an annular metallic rim having an inwardly extending'inclined and transversely corrugated flange, and then moving downwardly within said rim a cover of greater diameter than the diameter of the inner margin of said flange until said flange is snapped into engagement with an annular groove in said cover.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

ALLEN B. WILSON. 

